The recent death of a woman who spent much of the last two decades on Arlington’s streets is driving conversation on intervention options in Virginia.
Carol Ann Sauer — remembered as a friend and a “fixture to locals” who helped her at times, especially during bad weather — died from complications related to pneumonia and sepsis at VHC Health shortly before midnight on Dec. 31. She was 66.
The county government’s Adult Protective Services office is attempting to keep up with a surge in reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
“We’re in uncharted territory here in terms of volume,” said Rachel Coates, an official with the Department of Human Services, at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Commission on Aging.
A member of the Arlington Rotary Club and leader at an Arlington homelessness nonprofit has received a local leadership award.
Liz Nohra received the Inter-Service Club Council of Arlington’s 2025 Community Leader Award at the organization’s 86th annual awards luncheon, held at Washington Golf & Country Club last week.
President Donald Trump’s crackdown on homeless encampments in D.C. comes during a period of increasing need for homelessness resources in Arlington.
The number of people without homes in Arlington has been steadily rising for the past four years — growing from a 10-year low of 171 in 2021 to 271 as of this January. Those numbers come hand-in-hand with increased demands on a local network of related services, including emergency housing.
Increasing demand for resources to support at-risk Arlington seniors is putting an Arlington County resource hub to the test.
To keep up with an increasing workload, staff at the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center have stopped seeing clients one day each week to catch up on administrative tasks. As clients with more complex needs require more resources, leadership at the resource center is calling for more staffing at every level.
Planned cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other safety net programs have Arlington leaders turning to state officials for help.
At a meeting with county staff and County Board members last week, Arlington’s state delegates said they expect to return to Richmond in September to address cuts at the federal level.
A nonprofit providing meals to older Arlington County residents is on track to receive county funding for the first time.
The county plans to provide $105,000 in direct support to the Arlington Meals on Wheels program in the coming fiscal year. This is the first time that the nonprofit has asked for local funding in response to a growing community need.
The Arlington government plans to spend over $200 million on human services programs and personnel in the coming fiscal year, a new record high.
While officials are making some efforts to rein in the increase, they warn that local and national economic factors may force them to either add more funding or scale back existing initiatives as the year progresses.
As safety-net advocates press for more funding to address homelessness, Arlington officials say more permanent and temporary housing options are also needed.
The county’s full “continuum of care” for this issue clocks in at $7.5 million annually — “not an insignificant amount,” Anita Friedman, director of the county government’s Department of Human Services, said at a budget work session last week. Without places for people to go, however, she said the problem festers.
Two people were stabbed at an Arlington County facility Monday afternoon.
The stabbings happened at Sequoia Plaza, the office complex along Washington Blvd that houses some county departments and the headquarters of Arlington Public Schools. Initial reports suggest that the incident happened at an Arlington Dept. of Human Services office.
Arlington’s response team for people in mental health and substance use crises is on track for a substantial buildout.
An additional $478,286 in federal funds would allow Arlington to hire two therapists and another behavioral health specialist for the Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST), a county report says. This would mean expanded hours of operation for the team that launched last summer with just three personnel.
Arlington County is slated to accept a $95,000 grant to place two older adults with serious mental illnesses in community-based treatment once they leave state psychiatric hospitals.
The money will pay for housing costs, medications, transportation, or other associated costs as part of their treatment plans.
